way. But she’d promised Holly she’d play nice.
Holly gave Nicole a rueful look, her dark eyes slightly amused. “You still think this is a bad idea.”
“Of course she does,” Charlotte said in exactly the same tone, which made Holly laugh.
Nicole let herself relax enough to smile. Okay, so she hadn’t exactly been subtle about what she thought of Zak, or this little expedition. Holly hadn’t been dating Zak all that long before she ended things, admitting to Nicole and Charlotte that while he was cute, and not that bad in bed, her heart wasn’t really in it. “Besides,” Holly had told them at the time, “there’s something not quite right about whatever it is he’s doing at that bar. Something about it just feels shady.”
Then Holly had found out she was pregnant. Zak’s reaction, when Holly told him, was to say that he needed time to process the news. Then he stopped responding to her calls for more than a week. They’d been pretty sure he’d decided to ghost her when Zak had finally texted back, asking Holly to come by the bar he worked at before opening hours so they could talk about the baby.
“I think it’s your choice—and I support you no matter what you decide,” Nicole replied as diplomatically as she could. She didn’t say that she’d be surprised if Zak actually stepped up and wanted to be involved with the baby. She’d seen enough of him to know that he wasn’t exactly Father of the Year material.
“Thank you.” Holly rested her head on Nicole’s shoulder for a brief moment. “I need to do this. I owe it to Zak to at least hear him out. He and I weren’t meant to be, but he is the little bean’s dad, after all. And if he’s not interested in being a part of our lives…well, then at least I still have you guys.” She squeezed Nicole tight and threw her free arm around Charlotte to pull her into the hug.
Charlotte gave her a soft smile as she hugged Holly back. “Always.”
“Exactly,” Nicole agreed firmly. “We are going to be here for you, just like you two have always been there for me and Grant.”
Holly grinned and nodded as they approached McKinley’s, the hole in the wall where Zak tended bar. It looked like most of the lights were off inside, but when Holly knocked on the front door, there was a blur of movement before it swung open. Zak stuck his head out, all blonde, easy-going charm and a gleaming white smile. To be fair, it was a pretty great smile, all half-crooked and dimples winking. Maybe she could understand why Holly had tumbled into bed with him. He was cute—not the kind to make you weak at the knees, but he definitely had an older-brother’s-best-friend vibe that he was working to maximum effect. That smile probably tipped a lot of people over the edge. Wicked and playful, it was the kind of smile that said not to worry about anything, you could figure it out tomorrow. His grin dropped away, however, when he saw Nicole and Charlotte.
“I was hoping we could talk. Alone. Just the two of us,” Zak said to Holly, a smile slipping easily back across his face. “If you don’t mind,” he added pointedly to Nicole. “This is kind of personal.”
Nicole grinned back at him. “Oh, I absolutely mind.”
“Holly asked us to come,” Charlotte said, her voice quiet but firm.
Holly nodded. “Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of them. We’re a package deal, Zak.”
“That’s not what you said when we were dating. Joking,” he said quickly, holding his hands up before Nicole could say anything. He didn’t look happy about it, but he stepped back and held the door open. “Come on in—all of you—and grab a seat. I just gotta finish cleaning up before we open.”
The bar was empty, and almost dark except for a few spare lights. The tables and bar gleamed wetly under the dim lights, as if they’d recently been wiped down, and there was a mop and bucket resting by the door. Several large black trash bags were piled up by a door at the back of the bar, with a sign that read STAFF ONLY.
Zak ran a hand through his artfully tousled hair. “You ladies want something to drink?”
A quick looked passed between the women, including some heavy-duty eye rolls. Holly pointed at her stomach. “Pregnant.”
“I know that. I meant like a